All Things
by D-Watson
Summary: Post Yu-Gi-Oh! R. Oftentimes, even the most sinister plots are pushed forward by the simplest and oldest of all the reasons: love. A conversation on the school roof leads the other Yugi and Jonouchi to some interesting observations.


**Summary**: Post Yu-Gi-Oh! R. Oftentimes, even the most sinister plots are pushed forward by the simplest and oldest of all reasons: love. A conversation on the school roof leads the other Yugi and Jonouchi to some interesting observations.

**Yu-Gi-Oh! **(c) Kazuki Takahashi**. **

_This is mangaverse, apparently. It might be a little confusing if you're unfamiliar with Yu-Gi-Oh! R._

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That Yugi was nowhere to be found on a Friday afternoon would have been merely weird, if the boy wasn't such a magnet for psychopaths. The way it was, though, Jonouchi couldn't help feeling just a tad worried about him. Fortunately, the minute he stepped onto the school roof, his fears were alleviated upon spotting a bush of red hair wavering in the cool breeze. The owner's forhead rested on an arm pressed against the roof's safety fence, and even in such a casual pose, with one hand absently lingering in his pocket, there was something dignifying in his posture, something solid. There was no mistaking it. It was the _other_ Yugi, in all his regal imrovised-cape glory. Jonouchi almost felt a chill at the sight of his bare arms in a weather that warrented jackets to be worn, instead of draped over one's shoulders. It was amusing, really, how fashion conscious the spirit could come across at times. Jonouchi pegged it as some weird sense of dandiness so deepely ingrained into everything the other Yugi was, that it refused to yield to time, amnesia and black magic combined.

Yugi didn't seem to register the sound of footsteps behind him. He almost twiched in surprise when Jonouchi called out to him.

-Jonouchi-kun, - he greeted, straightening up a bit, though his hand was still lightly clutching the wire fence. Jonouchi tilted his head just enough to see the expression beneath the ruffled blond bangs that swayed on either side from their usual rigid streaks. Yugi didn't look paricularely fazed by the way his own impossible hairstyle seemed to be using the wind as an excuse to beat him over the face. It could have been a source of some laughs, except Jonouchi wasn't sure it was the right timing. After all, it wasn't every day that you found either Yugi alone on the school roof _on a Friday afternoon_.

–Something bothering you?

–No, I'm alright. I just got a little lost in thought.

Jonouchi crossed his arms and leaned against a wide brick pillar on Yugi's side, scrutinizing the by-standers in the school yard. There really was something about the roof that put people in a contemplative mood. Maybe it was the desolation of the place, wire fence and all, or the height that inevitably symbolized a view of the bigger picture. Whatever it was, it had sent Jonouchi himself on a philosophical binge on more than one occasion. As much as he hated it, there was no denying that everyone needed to sort out their thoughts alone every once in a while.

A quick glance at Yugi revealed that he was observing some nothing-in-particular out on the horizon. Silence reigned between them for a while, the only sound coming from the wind sweeping through the school yard trees. The sunset, the weather, the location – the scenery was such a terribly beaten cliché, it was almost funny.

–So, what are you thinking about?

–Everything, – Yugi said, shrugging slightly. Jonouchi found nothing strange in the vagueness of the answer.

–Okay. Feel like sharing?

For a moment, Yugi looked as though he wasn't comfortable with the idea, but then he pulled away from the fence and settled next to his friend, both of them with hands in their pockets and backs against the pillar.

–I wouldn't know where to start.

–They say the beginning is always a good idea, – Jonouchi teased, lightly shoving his shoulder into Yugi's. The way he went about questioning people was often so absolutely disarming that the other Yugi found it both annoying and endearing. There were few words to describe what Jonouchi's loyalty and friendship meant to him.

–Alright. I was thinking about Pegasus. And Tenma. About what drove them to do the things they did.

–Wow, way to wreck a perfectly good Friday, - Jonouchi observed, but no sooner than the words fell from his lips, did he find himself thinking he had managed to put a foot in his mouth.

–Yeah, I suck at this humor thing, – he offered, scratching the back of his head the way he always did when he was trying to look modest. It did not suit him at all, but it _was_ an entertaining sight, nonetheless. –Reached any conclusions on the matter?

–Nothing new, -–Yugi replied as he shook his head mirthlessly. –They both wanted to take back something precious to them, and that's all there is to it.

–Sounds ordinary enough. Only their way of doing it is the stuff horror stories are made of.

Jonouchi eyed a few pebbles around his feet with mild discontent before kicking one of them towards the fence. -It's not enough to justify what they did.

–No. It's not. But it got me thinking about how all these things, their ambitions and broken dreams triggered something that affected so many people.

Jonouchi balanced on his heels, swinging back and forth slightly as he carefully considered his next words. –You know, it's probably because everything ended well for us, but I don't regret one minute of it.

Yugi observed him curiously for a moment.

–Jonouchi-kun?

It was the truth. There were too many precious memories of Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, and even the RA Project to write it all off as something that shouldn't have happened.

–Well… I got something out of it, you know? Something good.

Looking at the bright side of things was so typically Jonouchi that the statement shouldn't have been surprising, really. Yugi smiled inwardly at the realization.

–Yes, I guess we all did.

–And when you think about it, that's all that matters at the end of the day,– Jonouchi added, stretching his arms as if he just got something uncomfortable out of his system. It felt good to just talk -- really talk -- about things in hindsight, once the impressions settled enough to be analyzed. They always seemed to be rushing towards some grand goal, only to realize it was really just a pit stop.

Yugi's face grew somber once again as he contemplated something that hadn't occurred to him before the whole Tenma episode. It was strange, the way every next person that set his sights on ruining either Yugi himself, or something important to him, brought more understanding of the mechanics of such vicious behavior.

–Pegasus wanted to see his girlfriend again so badly, even if it was just an image. I wonder if it would have been enough for him.

Yugi let out a heavy sigh, and for just a moment, he looked as though he entered a completely different world. There was something almost sympathetic in his eyes as he studied the cracks in the floor tiling.

–When I put Anzu's soul card on my duel disc… She was there, right in front of me, and yet somehow, I never felt so lonely.

Jonouchi's eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch at the reminder of Anzu's imprisonment. Tenma might have turned out to be a decent enough guy for someone who exhibited all the symptoms of a flaming nutjob, but the very thought of him laying his hands on Anzu was enough for Jonouchi to want to track him down and retroactively beat some sense into him. It was kind of surprising that the other Yugi seemed to be giving the likes of him any consideration. On the other hand, it was also surprising that he had just effectively placed Pegasus' dead wife and Anzu in the same context, and Jonouchi didn't quite know what to think of that either. The other Yugi interrupted that train of thought, which was probably for the best.

–Pegasus and Tenma, their methods might have been different, but we had the same motives.

It wasn't that Jonouchi thought Yugi needed to be told he was better than the people he had just compared himself with – he didn't. The other Yugi was usually far from giving off the air of someone plagued by self-doubt. But that didn't stop him from uttering a few words of reassurance, just in case.

–No. It's not the same. You were _protecting_ Anzu. Those guys -- they've messed with something that didn't belong to them anymore.

Yugi smirked, knowing full well exactly how unnecessary and obligatory Jonouchi considered that little pep talk of his.

–I know that, Jonouchi-kun. But it made me think about how I'd cope if such tragedy befell someone I hold dear.

He regarded the pendent around his neck for a moment before continuing.

–I… the present me exists inside this small Sennen Item. I don't know what happened to cause that.

Jonouchi had no doubt that the other Yugi's lost memories often kept him awake at night. It was kind of depressing to think that someone so remarkable couldn't even remember his name, let alone how he ended up in such a bizarre living arrangement in the first place. It occurred to him that Yugi might actually be afraid of finding out. The first thing on the agenda Monday after school would be the long awaited visit to the Domino Museum. None of them knew how the God Cards were supposed to open the gate to Yugi's memories, but you didn't exactly need to be the brightest bulb in the marquee to assume it would probably have something to do with the Sennen Items and ancient magic. And that _always _seemed to attract all sorts of trouble. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if something went wrong, and the other Yugi disappeared right in from of them.

–Whatever happened back then, you're a good person, Yugi. Don't you dare think any differently.

The last sentence was accentuated with a finger raised in mock threat, and it made Yugi smile despite himself. It wasn't the smirk that tugged on his lips when he exercised his rather dry sense of humor; not the stuff that served as a prologue to delivering the finishing blow to an opponent he particularly disliked, but a genuine ear-to-ear smile. It was a rare and radiant sight.

–Thank you, Jonouchi-kun… for always watching my back.

Jonouchi Katsuya didn't blush at compliments or expressions of gratitude.

–Heh, don't make a fuss about stuff like that. We all watch out for each other, right?

He put on goofy grins and patted people's backs, instead. Perhaps a bit harder than socially acceptable.

–Yeah, we sure do,– the other Yugi said through a warm chuckle, making a mental note to remind Jonouchi on some other, less precious occasion that friendly back-pats should not exactly be exerted with a force that sends people lunging two steps forward.

The laughs died out just as quickly as they came, and silence was in full presence once again. The conversation started to sink in and the implications slowly took on the shape of something that raises more questions than it offers answers. Jonouchi suddenly found himself entertaining possibilities that rarely ever crossed his mind.

–Do you think that guy might actually be alive?

The question almost made the other boy do a double take. –Pegasus? I don't know...

He frowned as the setting Sun cast its last beams straight in the direction of his eyes. Last time he stood there was the day after Grandpa's soul got snatched away right in front of him. –Sometimes I wonder if he knew what he was getting himself into when he created this game.

Jonouchi nodded thoughtfully, apparently wondering about it himself.

The other Yugi finally decided it was getting too cold for fashion statements. He put on his jacket and reached into his belt compartment with an uncharacteristic spontaneity. Almost absent mindedly, he shuffled his deck and drew a card at random. There was no need to flip it over, but he did it anyway. Osiris. It was always Osiris.

–To think that these cards that hold the key to my entire life… exist because of a tragic love affair.

The two friends looked each other in the eye briefly, a powerful moment of recognition passing between them. And then Yugi tentatively slipped Osiris back into his deck, brushing a few stray bangs from his eyes.

–I guess, in the end, I was wondering what our lives would have been like if Pegasus hadn't loved that woman…

––fin––

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I've been itching to write something with these guys. The amount of stories that actually acknowledge their friendship is so pathetic, it's not even funny. Lol, the part where Jou goes "blah blah, don't regret one minute of it," and the pharaoh, instead of asking an actual question like "What do you mean," just goes "Jonouchi-kun?" He does that a lot in the anime. It's literally every other word out of his mouth sometimes.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. If you press the review button, there will be cake.


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